arcane WINTERS
by Dia de Luz
Summary: HIATUS: Fuyuka Yukibosu, scorned heiress and sheltered child, must accomplish the most difficult of tasks: shattering the barrier of hatred residing deep within her family before it's too late. After all, those murders won't fix themselves. Shinji/OC
1. Exordium

_A/N:_ Hello, again possibly. I thought I should try my luck with this, seeing as it wouldn't leave me alone. I wanted to post this before my extended leave, so hopefully it'll be okay. I've never done AU, but here goes ;)

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, Kubo does. I don't own his characters, he does. It's that simple.

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…_arcane WINTERS © Dia de Luz_

_Bleach © Tite Kubo_…

**(** _Chapter I_ **)**

**Exordium**

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... It was a castle amidst barren mountains and plagued pines, whereas the never ending inactivity of frozen Nature reigned in a still lull. Sunless and overcast, it would be too much expected to see much life and vegetation. The relentless cold was bitter and tiring as it paved way of unadulterated white, falling in sheets as it layered upon the vast quietude. It was there, in that unbounded and hushed detachment, that the fires blazed in that stone castle, and the screams of its inhabitants echo throughout the area to this day ...

_- From the Diary of Fuyuka Yukibosu_

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**.Centuries Ago.**

The castle had never seen anything but snow.

It was just a fact- one idea that had been engraved in stone regarding the marvelous Fuyu Manor for ages. The pines were the only green that would stretch on for miles on end, and the land looked as though it were a never-ending wonderland. The sky was either dark, or clouded- there was no sunshine in the Fuyu Manor.

At the time, nightfall had bestowed on the grand estate; only the faint flicker of candlelight would guide one towards their rightful residence. It was assumed the inhabitants of the castle were all in their dreams, fast asleep and not to be disturbed. Unfortunately, this was where it started.

Naïve assumptions ultimately caused the downfall of the Nobility's stand.

For the head of the House himself was fast awake, sipping at his hot tea in the cold and bitter night. The old Head's balcony was simple and elegant, and provided the privacy he needed, when it was so asked. With his calloused hand, the Fuyu official gripped a small letter, ink scrawled on it so neatly.

War was upon the Fuyu- indigenous, domestic war. Infiltrations of the Fuyu were not uncommon, but to go undetected for so long… It was different. Facing Hollow was different- they were a blatant enemy, and disposed of on sight. But for a furtive mole to be digging so far into the core of the Fuyu- well… it was unheard of.

The end was coming.

The Hollow had mutated with time- they were keen, intellectual, and could fight on equal ground with the Fuyu. And with the mole, the Head only expected conflict. He would protect his people for as long as possible, and he would have to merely overlook the mole Seireitei had placed in his House for now.

Seireitei only wanted one thing, which would inevitably lead to another.

The Fuyu were among the riches of Soul Society- decadent and flourishing with economic stability. Their treasures were unbounded; their means of acquirement were virtually untraceable. But with a mole, the Shinigami had made the perfect move. The Shinigami wanted Fuyu control- their resources, their land, and their cooperation. They wanted the Fuyu to reside in Seireitei peacefully with other Nobility, but the House of Fuyu refused. In turn, the Shinigami turned to Fuyu riches, and were presumably in search for the wonders of the Fuyu.

They needed the location.

The Head sighed, rising from his position on the balcony before turning, sensing the very embers from beneath.

It had started.

Opening the doors to his room, the old Head narrowed his eyes as siege had befallen his very people. The Shinigami were disregarding the fact that the mutated Hollow would sense distress and come attack, with their shrill howling. Almost like wolves.

But the Shinigami wanted riches- they would not get them. They were searching for a map, and their efforts would be in vain. They were searching for something tangible in which they would not find. They would ask each official, possibly even resort to interrogation if they were desperate.

Again, their efforts would be futile.

For only the Head of the Fuyu had the location- the map. And the Head would perish with his people. The Shinigami could try with all their might- they would never get Fuyu wonders with their means of murder and sleuth. And when the siege ended, there would be survivors. Fuyu would live on, and they would rebuild. And the treasures would be passed down once again, but in a different route.

Stepping inside his bedroom, the old Head went straight for the wall, where his brandished sword lay, untouched for ages. The smoke was rising within the castle, but the old Head would finish his ritual, so that the Fuyu could live on. Unsheathing the old sword, the old Head frowned.

Who said the Shinigami residing in Seireitei were the only ones with zanpakutou?

With his actions, the Head could not save his familiars inside the castle, but he could save future Fuyu from the same destruction that had fallen in his time. The words of location would no longer be spoken among Fuyu- but ingrained in each chosen Head in generations to come. The House of Fuyu would fall for the time being, but it would resurface with time, and it would resurface with security.

Each Head would ensure that.

And with his spell, each Head would have their own burden to bear, but for the sake of the Fuyu…

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**.Two Centuries.**

Plum eyes and white hair.

Fuyuka Yukibosu had not just a name, but a prestigious yet condemning title as well. Eccentricity, unfit, misfit- the works of an outcast in a judgmental society. On contrary, it was always said how odd the universe worked- that same eccentricity and 'bad nut' was sentenced as the next heir to the House of Fuyu.

The girl was a thin thing, but worked in the kitchens in any spare time that she came across. The girl lived in Fuyu Manor, a castle in the sky, yet labored as if she earned her keep. The next heir had never quite fit in, going as far as wearing tanned trousers and loose-fitting cotton shirts in the biting outdoors.

Some said she was a walking contradiction. That said, it was assumed not many were privy to understanding the young heir, as many regarded her in the utmost contempt at her _childish_ activities. Her behavior simply wasn't proper in the inhabitants' eyes, nor were Fuyuka's various entertainments relevant in regards to her studies as the next heir of the House of Fuyu.

The patrons of the main branch of the House of Fuyu were easy to depict in the general sense- the same alabaster white hair, piercing turquoise eyes, and the flawless, waxen skin that glittered in the many portraits adorning the manor's various corridors. Fuyuka Yukibosu had inherited these classic and elegant Fuyu traits, save for her light, plum eyes.

Those eyes, ashen mauve and as big as they come, had condemned the girl as soon as she was conceived.

How was it that an outlandish girl with ashen mauve eyes would soon head one of the most prestigious Nobility in all of Soul Society?

Easy- Fate, my dear.

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**Thoughts, please!  
Review!**


	2. Mundane Rituals Just Got A Bit Exciting

**A/N:** Thanks, my awesome reviewers!

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, Kubo does. I don't own his characters, he does. It's that simple.

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…_arcane WINTERS © Dia de Luz_

_Bleach © Tite Kubo_…

**(** _Chapter II_ **)**

**Mundane Rituals Just Got a Bit Exciting.**

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…What's in the books, recorded history and all these monumental facts, is great and all, but it doesn't help in real situations. The stuff that wasn't recorded, the emotion in which thousands of people died for and the sole striving force- that's the stuff we need. Unwritten history will always reign superior in my book- it doesn't feed you absolute shit…

_- From the Diary of Fuyuka Yukibosu_

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Life inside the Fuyu Manor was what you made it- monotonous or exciting.

For Fuyuka Yukibosu, mundane rituals never quite tickled her fancy, so she made the days a bit more interesting with her spontaneous extracurriculars. The snow was a never ending ritual from above, and it was so ordinary that the familiars within Fuyu Manor had long forgotten how to enjoy it. The ever-occurring white was just there, always there.

There was nothing special about it.

The cold no longer bothered the Fuyu- it was life. The grey didn't trouble the Fuyu, for it was what they knew. Crisp blue skies, lightly filled clouds, and the warm rays of sunshine never even grazed Fuyu thoughts- it was unthinkable.

All save for one offbeat heiress.

When times were often still, Fuyuka moved with pace. There were things to do, people to see, and ideas to be thunk. As a child scorned at birth, Fuyuka grew seemingly unaffected by her clan's displeasure. Each day she would wake with a broad grin, glittering eyes, and at times it even seemed that she had a bit of color blotching those Fuyu waxen cheeks of hers. She didn't set the pace for the Fuyu- she set the pace for herself, and didn't dare expect any Fuyu of the Manor to follow.

That's what Fuyuka did.

Little did she know, her _bizarre_ antics and _impertinent _doings would soon alter Fuyu routine, and maybe even minds. 

_Maybe._

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"Lady Fuyuka! This is no longer amusing, Lady Fuyuka! Please, you _need _to attend your lessons!"

Shrill cries echoed throughout the long halls of Fuyu Manor, threatening to shatter the glass windowpanes and clear mirrors adorning the hollow walls. Silence ensued the last cry, followed by hurried footsteps, the sliding of several doors, and more cries from said shrill voice. 

_"LADY FUYUKA!"_

No sooner than the frantic stomps passed one particular threshold did said door slowly slide open, and a tentative head poked out around the corner, as if it were checking for the clear. Upon spotting only the emptiness of the hall, a wide grin curled rosy lips, and ashen mauve eyes sparkled with the glorious sensation of success.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Fuyuka Yukibosu stepped out of the small room in which she had taken refuge, "That was close…"

Bringing a boney hand to her unruly ivory hair, the young heiress scratched the back of her head, continuing her meaningless amble down the hollow Manor's halls.

"Ahh, Miss Ikuno is really persistent these days. I wonder what's gotten into her… "

It wasn't that Fuyuka was a slacking student in regards to her studies and duties, but the girl had found herself quite bored with the seemingly meaningless garble in which _Nobles_ were to learn. Honesty, Fuyuka would rather have been in the kitchen with the head chef, Beni, than avoiding her always stressing mentor. Miss Ikuno had the right intentions, and Fuyuka appraised her for sticking with her for so long, but she went about it all wrong. She was shrill, boisterous, and quite stressed as a grown woman; with a shudder, Fuyuka prayed that she'd never come to be like that.

As the young heiress passed an open doorway, she found her name called out yet again, "Ikuno's on the hunt, Fuyuka?"

Large plum eyes blinked slowly as Fuyuka faltered in her next step, coming to a halt just to find her feet moving backwards. Stopping to lean in the threshold of the new room, Fuyuka's lips curved, "Miss Ikuno needs to make these things more interesting, Beni! It's not my fault!"

The kitchens of Fuyu Manor were extravagant, just as the whole estate seemed. Adorned with the same white marble as the rest of the property, the kitchen gleamed with a lingering cleanliness. Spotless granite counter tops, freshly sharpened knives placed neatly in their respective cubbyholes, and chrome cabinets lined the walls. Pure, clean, and totally sanitized- just like Beni.

The head chef merely snorted derisively at the young heiress, "Have you ever wondered how high you cause her blood pressure to rise on a daily basis, Fuyuka?"

"She's the one who can't keep a lid on it…"

Fuyubeniko of the House of Fuyu- head chef, meticulous with her work, and older cousin of Fuyuka. Just as the rest of the main branch, Beni had those turquoise eyes, waxen skin, and white hair.

Unlike Fuyuka, she fit in.

The woman's shorter alabaster hair was slightly darker than the young heiress's, but not so much that the main branch would go to the extent of ostracizing said Chef. Beni always said that as a cook, she hadn't a use for appearances, so she didn't care much for her choppy hair. And as the head chef, Beni gave orders; she didn't follow them. However, on those rare occasions when she did receive orders, she followed with the utmost prudence.

Rolling her light eyes, Beni cracked a smile at the youth. "She's going to have a coronary one day, and you'll feel guilty, Fuyuka."

But by now, Fuyuka's attention lay elsewhere. Her plum eyes had taken to staring down the narrow, marble hall, brows suddenly furrowed in puzzlement.

Blinking, Beni frowned at the girl. "Fuyuka?"

"Ah? Oh, sorry."

"What is it?"

Fuyuka's gaze hadn't left the hall, but Beni noted that her eyes were no longer shining. The youth's hand was still on the marble frame of the threshold as she stared down the endless walkway of the grand estate, "Was there a council meeting that I was made unaware of today, Beni?"

There was a pause.

Beni merely stared at the girl.

Then recovering, the chef scoffed and went back to chopping vegetables with her impeccable cleaves.

"I wouldn't know, Fuyuka. I'm just the chef."

"You are from the main branch- don't tell me you don't hear things."

"And you're the next Head of the Fuyu; I'm sure you would know if they were some type of meeting."

But despite her words, Beni and Fuyuka both knew Fuyuka wasn't the most popular amongst their clan.

"Why are you asking me this? It's not like you to be suspicious."

But as Beni look back at her younger kin, she did know one thing. Fuyuka wasn't widely accepted by the Fuyu, first with her appearance, and then with her _outlandish_ behavior- for an heir, that was- and maybe she wasn't the most interested in Nobility's roles, but Fuyuka took her position seriously.

Beni's features softened as she stared at the slender heiress. Her ivory hair was as long and as unruly as the day she had met her, and her big plum eyes were just a mark of character. Beni would never have the guts to act like Fuyuka, and how Fuyuka managed to go on with her days in Fuyu Manor stumped the chef beyond belief, but she wouldn't question it.

Fuyuka Yukibosu was as rare as they come, and even Beni couldn't understand her. They were of the same blood, the same kin, but Beni could never know what it was like to carry such burdens of being forsaken, and then forcibly accepted as the Head. And then there was the knowledge entrusted to each Head through unspeakable means-

"I'm going. I'll catch up to you later, Beni."

"Hm? Ahh, yeah. See you."

And as she watched her smaller kin disappear through the threshold, a ghost of a smile flitted at the corner of Beni's lips. Shaking her head, "Yukibosu… what the hell is with you?"

**-X-**

Stuffing her hands in her trouser pockets, Fuyuka took another step from Fuyu Manor and farther into the snow, wriggling her toes in her clothed footwear.

The terrain was white, the sky was grey, and pine trees were scattered in all directions on Fuyu land. Fuyuka Yukibosu was content with the snow's presence, but she wondered what else there was to see. Only stories of blue skies reached her ears, and even those were scarce in the lands of Fuyu.

The Fuyu had somehow isolated themselves from the rest of Soul Society, but maintained at least some form of contact with the Shinigami of Seireitei. But then again, isolation must have come easy, Fuyuka thought, as she gazed at the foliage of white. The pines of the Fuyu were the only green, and Fuyuka enjoyed her time under the canopy of the only vegetation that she had come to see.

Fuyu Manor was located on Mount Byuu Vena, high in the vast, rocky terrain of Soul Society. High above Seireitei, the Rukon districts, and virtually any life in Soul Society, the mountain rose and seemingly kept on going. An inconvenience to approach, but that was the point. Byuu Vena was a daunting challenge, just as the Fuyu wanted.

It was a shame, really.

To be so high up, to have made such a great effort to be _almost_ unreachable- just to have one Shinigami reach Fuyu Manor without anyone's knowledge.

_Well, that was merely a legend. The castle burned because of one Shinigami. The Fuyu fell as if they were dominos, just because a mere Shinigami had learned too much._

And speaking of knowing too much…

"If there wasn't some type of council meeting today, then what were Pa's officials doing…? " Fuyuka wondered aloud, pensive. She wasn't worried about the security of her thoughts, simply because no one ever ventured that far through the forest- if one could even call it that.

So when a heavy object suddenly grazed Fuyuka's waxen cheek and embedded itself into the tree just inches from her, it came with the utmost surprise. Followed by her blood, running a smooth line down her high cheekbone.

Ashen mauve eyes expanded as they trailed over to the tree with dread. Stomach dropping as the perpetrator of such violence came into sight. If possible, Fuyuka's complexion lost any trace of color it once had.

A sizable, grey rock. 

_More like boulder!_

Completely tearing the bark from the tree, creating a nice hole in the trunk of said vegetation. 

_"I missed, dammit."_

And just as the young heiress whirled in a blur of off-white, a sudden _swish_ of fabric was the only sign left of a life other than hers.

Minutes passed as Fuyuka stood there… not quite processing what had just happened.

Finally her voice rand out with a slow incredulity, "They threw a… rock the size of an anchor… at me…"

Fuyuka didn't know whether to laugh at the horrible… _assassination attempt_, or to tremble in fear because someone had just tried to take her life. A mediocre attempt. Maybe it had just been a horrible prank…

Yet she couldn't help herself as her hands gave off a small tremble, and she just couldn't choke back that cynical bubble of laughter that had taken to spilling from her dainty pink lips.

_What the hell is going on here?_

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__Review!_

**LogicOfFire: **I'm pleased to hear that you're intrigued! It's good to have you back on board with another story of mine. Thanks so much!

**Shadow of a Broken Angel:** Ahh sweet. I'm glad to have piqued your interest as well. It's good to have familiars faces for support :) Thank you!_  
_


	3. Bitter

**A/N:** My reviewers are great. Simply because I do love you all. Thanks, thanks, thanks a bunch.

**Nicky Eira**  
**Animelover1993**  
**Mysticbreez**  
**LogicOfFire**  
**Shadow of a Broken Angel**  
**Eklipt**  
**Dii-Red**

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, Kubo does. I don't own his characters, he does. It's that simple.

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…_arcane WINTERS © Dia de Luz_

_Bleach © Tite Kubo_…

**(** _Chapter III_ **)**

**Bitter**

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You can taste the hate in the air, Mama. It runs deep through this family like the blood in our very veins. It always will, you told me.  
…I'll change it. I'll change it all for you, Ma.

-_ From the Diary of Fuyuka Yukibosu_

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The snow was falling again. It was sure to turn into a storm, soon enough.

_Snap! _

The sound of old fashioned film set off around the bare area, followed by several blinding flashes as the photos started to take. The tree was in fragmented pieces, and on the other side was a crude and quite large rock in which had been seemingly thrown from a great distance.

"Inspector! The surrounding area has been searched. There are no physical tracks, and we do not possess the proper skill to identify- ahh… _spiritual_ traces, per say."

The man to whom this formal conclusion was directed simply offered a curt nod and a pensive frown.

The faceless Fuyu grunt muttered to his superior this time around, "That girl was lucky the attempt was mediocre at best-"

"You are not to address the Miss with such familiarity, Fuyu. Remember just whom are you speaking of."

"Y-Yes sir!"

"Dismissed." And the kid was gone. Lead Inspector of the Fuyu was a trying occupation- one that required both integrity and an impartial outlook. For the current Inspector, the latter was what came with the most trouble. Their latest heir was both female and did not possess the Fuyu appearance, and that made it quite difficult for the occupants of the Manor to accept, thereby trying to sway his judgment with their nasty words as well. Personally, the Inspector was not _supposed_ to have a say, but if he did it would be that he simply did not care for the girl. He didn't know how she would be as a Head, but he certainly did not want her. And now there was an attempt on her life- something in which had not been done in decades concerning an heir.

An _heiress_, at that.

Staring at the white terrain ahead, the Fuyu Inspector furrowed his brows and gave a deep frown, wary with age.

"Sir." The Inspector did not turn. Merely inclining his head ever so slightly, he beckoned the new voice forth.  
Choosing to voice his take of the scene, the new arrival turned to the endless white. "I don't like this, sir. Lady Fuyuka is days away from her formal acknowledgment to inherit the Fuyu name, and this happens."

"I agree, son."

The younger detective furrowed his brows, "Do you really think…?"  
"The lack of physical traces suggest that there is more than meets the eye to this attempt."

And as the cold reigned down upon the Fuyu for what seemed like one more time compared to countless, the younger Fuyu spoke a name in which seemed almost _taboo_ at this point.

"Shinigami?"

**/~/**

"Miss, I have been instructed to keep you inside until further notice."

Fuyuka's delicate hand was resting on the darkened cherry wood of the threshold to her room when her stoic chambermaid's dull voice floated to her ears. Blinking those round plum eyes, the youth looked up to find a blank face staring right back down at her.

"Miss Austere…?"  
"Please return to your quarters."

It didn't take a genius to figure out that this Miss Austere was not a fan of the next Head of the house. Her small brown eyes were somehow always narrowed when looking in Fuyuka's general direction, her face was always stone, and her words were clipped with impatience. She always had to pull back a grimace when speaking with the girl, and Fuyuka- she never seemed to notice.

That was the most bothersome thing about it.

"A-Alright, thank you." Turning to step back into her shaded room, Fuyuka frowned silently. No sooner than she got herself into the room did the door abruptly shut with a bit more force than usual, and the small _click_ in the lock suggested that Fuyuka really _wasn't _to leave.  
"I know someone tried to _kill_ me, but…"

But going as far as to lock the heiress in her room was a bit much. Sighing, the small girl took a look around her lush room, eyes resting on her crimson four-poster bed with a sort of longing, past the velvety red drapery and maroon shaded oak which coated her vanity- just to walk up to her arched window and glance down upon the Fuyu Manor itself. From her perspective, Fuyuka had the perfect view of the courtyard drenched in white down below. A frozen fountain lay in the center of the still environment, dabbed with small sapphires that had been etched into the stone ages ago. She could see Fuyu walking to and fro their respective jobs inside the Manor, and the small children gathering with their Fuyu mothers.

There was the beautiful Manor, the outside coated with stone from head to toe, which housed the main branch of the Fuyu. The compounds to the right and more towards the woods were for the branch family, and the compounds to the left were reserved for diplomatic guests. Rarely did the Fuyu host company, so it went to show that the servants came straight from the branch familiars.

The Fuyu did not like interlopers. They did not like irregularities. They were not a clan who influenced the good of Soul Society, nor were they a clan who wanted much growth. They were a clan in the shadows. A very wealthy and very powerful House which was balancing on a thin thread as it was. A new Head always calls for some unease.

But now the Manor was quiet- it always was. Resting peacefully atop Byuu Vena with hidden motives and blatant arrogance.

The Fuyu were aloof.  
Fuyuka was not.

There was no way she could lead this clan to greatness- that's what rested at the very front of Fuyu minds. Rarely was it actually spoken. The scorn was there, though. It always had been.

_Mama… _

_They call me ugly again._

**_/~/_**_  
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"Is that so?"

One curt nod.

"Thank you, Inspector."

A pause in the dark room. Not awkward, not hesitant, not even expectant. The Inspector just stood at the edge of the old man's bed, done with his briefing and now paying his respects.

"I am not dead yet." _  
Might as well be.  
_"I know, Sir."

The room had a lingering staleness about it, hardly enough light filtered in through the thick drapes to function, and Death was there. It was in the old man's pours, his sunken eye-sockets in which had formerly held so much light, in his withered and leathery skin and his hair- now rough as a horses'. A matter of hours and he would be gone.

"Is my daughter safe?"

The Inspector nodded, "Yes. She is residing in her quarters as we speak."

It would be ludicrous to say that the old man could smile, but the Inspector could have sworn he saw a ghost of a smile flit at the corner of the former Head's lips. "I imagine she will not like lock up."  
"The Miss won't be there for long. We just need…" At a small wave from the old man did the Inspector trail off in his sentence, waiting.

He waited for awhile.  
"…My dear Yuki will make a fine Head, Inspector. She looks… just like her Mother."

The Inspector merely listened. He would not agree that the girl was a beauty- he would not speak in such ways before this ancient man. He would not make a single comment about that _whore_ of a spouse that the old man had foolishly loved.

"She's got those large eyes like her Mother. She has… a big heart."  
"She can sure take a verbal lashing," came the Inspectors dry response.  
The old man merely quirked his lips yet again, "Yes. The young are resilient." He almost sounded wistful.  
"Sir…" The Inspector felt as if he were tasting something bitter each time the girl's name was even brought into conversation. A foul taste would enter his mouth, soon followed by the gut-wrenching disappointment.

The Inspector had only spoken to Fuyuka a number times that he could simply count on his right hand, but those encounters were _cauterized_ into his skull. He struggled to refrain from twisting his face as the sour taste did not leave.  
"What do you wish?"  
"… It is time," here the old man had to pause in his speech to breathe, slowly letting out a drawn out exhale, followed by an even longer shuddered inhale, "contact the Shinigami, Inspector. I leave this in your hands."

With another nod did the Inspector pivot in his step, heading straight for the door.

_Contact the Shinigami. _

That blasted girl not only failed to die and save the Fuyu from what was sure to be domestic turmoil for years to come, but her survival had even caused the _Shinigami!_ to get involved. Her survival was starting to look more like an omen than it was a blessing.

**/~/**

Shinji Hirako was not a happy camper.

Who would be, under the circumstances in which he was given? Hiking up the the skyscraping Mount Byuu Vena in the dead of night with snow storms such as these would turn even the bubbliest mood foul. With a particularly nasty grimace did the blonde kick up a pile of snow, just to have Nature swing some in his face.

_"Dammit!"_

The toothy blonde grumbled an assortment of even more colorful curses under his breath, continuing with his march of that stupid ant hill in which he was assigned. Upon receiving a very uncommon letter from the House of Fuyu, in which Commander Yamamoto had personally handed to the Captain of Division Five, Shinji had been called to none other than the leading Division's common room to be briefed.

Before, Shinji hadn't the slightest idea just who the Fuyu were. They were just another family in the throng of people residing in Soul Society. But there he was, climbing some_ blasted _mountain to reach the rumored Manor by morning.

His task?  
Bodyguard.

Seemed the Fuyu didn't take too well with their _heir's_ life in jeopardy. Shinji almost sneered at the fact that he was called for such a case. After hearing that the diplomatic situation between the Fuyu and Shinigami wasn't that great, he was stumped as to why _he_ was called for this position. It was said that the Fuyu needed a Shinigami for the remainder of the investigation. But him, really? And a Captain, no less!

But Yamamoto just told him to be there at sunrise.  
The only good thing Shinji could discern from this task was time away from that _chilling_ Lieutenant of his.

So there he walked, up and up and up. Each step away from his home, into a new territory that wasn't the most friendly of them all. He would make perfect time- he could see the Manor from where he was. It quite possibly could have been the grandest building he had yet to see.

The man was filled with a sudden loathing. He could only wonder- with a blooming sense of dread- what kind of snot-nosed kid he would be stuck with. The heir lived in that estate from which he could see miles off. Shinji knew he probably would come to regret these next few weeks.  
The Fuyu boy would probably have more money than Shinji could ever think of. Damn heirs to their damn Noble families.

_Ahh, fuck it._

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__Review~ my lovelies!  
Finally, the arrival of Shinji!  
Things'll get good, now. :)_

_**-Mel**  
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	4. Fire! & The Mapmaker

**I love my reviewers.  
I love readers, too.**

_Animelover1993_  
_Mysticbreez_  
_Nicky Eira_  
_Eklipt_

**I also have to apologize. I've been (sorta) neglecting this story for another, **_These Wooden Ashes_**, and I pretty much suck because of that.**

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, Kubo does. I don't own his characters, he does. It's that simple.

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…_arcane WINTERS © Dia de Luz_

_Bleach © Tite Kubo_…

**(** _Chapter IV_ **)**

**Fire! & The Mapmaker**

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**Change doesn't really come to the Fuyu. So I don't know what view I have on Change. I guess it'll just come with time. That's what I've heard. But then again, you don't hear much in the Manor.

I guess the silence counts.  
That's enough for me.

_- From the Diary of Fuyuka Yukibosu_

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_

Things felt a bit dull that morning in Fuyu Manor.

Fuyuka was still trapped in her lush room, forced to entertain herself through trivial means. At least she enjoyed those trivial means. If there was anything Fuyuka loved, it was making maps. The girl would find herself entranced for hours on end with the intricate diagrams, tracing and retracing each last contour until it suited her fancy. Her drawings were complete, detailed- her very own.

Countless drawers were stuffed full of her small musings; Fuyuka would spend most of her time in her Grandfather's study, drawing and drawing until her hands were too sore to continue. But today, as she watched the endless snow pile on end, she found her interest lacking in the form of her beautiful drafts. She wanted to do something. No- that wasn't it. She still wanted to illustrate a map.

She just needed inspiration. She needed a new sight- something that she could draw with more detail than just endless white and the occasion river or two. A small grin suddenly curled rosy lips as Fuyuka's gaze strayed over to one particular drawer of hers.

Oh yes, she'd definitely get her inspiration today.

**/~/**

As soon as Shinji Hirako stepped through the wrought iron archway of the Fuyu Manor, he had seen enough snow for a lifetime. It just wouldn't go away- not from his hair, not from his skin, not anywhere he looked did he not see snow.

It was getting annoying.

"You must be the Shinigami, Shinji Hirako."

Upon hearing this formal greeting, Shinji's brown eyes snapped towards the voice, expression torn between a neutral grimace and sudden loathing for snow. There was a woman standing before him in a classic maid's wear, adorned with the white lace to complete the look. She wasn't young nor old, and was quite plain in her features. However, her eyes reflected perpetual distaste and discontentment. Pale skin, pale hair, and beady black eyes.

"I am Sia Austere. Welcome to Fuyu Manor."

Not from the main branch. Shinji had been slightly briefed on this family- anything known, that was. The main house had these striking turquoise eyes. The branched family did not. That was how one would discern one from the other.

Raising a hand in a still wave, Shinji stared at the woman blankly. "Yo."

Sia Austere just continued to eye him without one emotion plastered on that gaunt face of hers, bland and blank as ever.

Shinji already didn't like her.

"So where's this heir that I'm supposed ta keep an eye on?"

Placing one step forward, Shinji watched the the Austere woman turn to make her way to the Manor, not even as much as glancing over her should to see if he caught the hint.

"I will escort you to the next Head's quarters." Her voice was an uncharacteristic monotone.

Rolling his eyes at the woman's back, Shinji trudged on behind her in the snow, grimacing. Taking a peek around, the Shinigami now had the chance to seriously assess the estate's grandness. It was quiet, cold, white. The life that could be seen was completely opposite of what it was- virtually lifeless. They moved with a slowness that Shinji had never seen in Seireitei. Their gazes were directed straight ahead, concentrating solely on their path. There was no chatter, the was no life. It was routine.

Shinji did not understand it.

"Mr. Hirako." Shinji's eyes went to the woman's back, who had not turned to speak with the man. She simply went on with her words. "I will warn you ahead of time. Please excuse our heir's ill-favored appearance. We all find it displeasing, but I hope you will not find it to interfere with your work."

It took the Shinigami to process what Austere had said, and when it had registered, Shinji merely shrugged.

"It ain't a problem for me." But it did pique the blonde's curiosity. That, and the fact that her last statement had sounded a bit sarcastic. But before Shinji could comment, he stopped, just as he saw the Austere woman do.

The faint smell of burning wood floated to his senses.

"Oh my…" It wasn't her voice that gave it away- it was the sudden heat. The sudden light.

It did not fit in this setting.

Glancing up, Shinji's brown eyes widened as they caught fire. Smoke was rising from a room in the grand Manor. It spilled from the windows profusely, and the flames had already reached the outside.

"That is Lady Fuyuka's room!"

But Shinji had disregarded her words, already running towards the burning building. However, he did hear the woman's last warning.

"The door is locked from the outside, Mr. Hirako!"

It didn't take long for the Shinigami to bust through the doors of the forsaken Manor, for Shinigami had the uncanny trait of _shunpo_ that held quite useful in most accounts. Particularly this one, as Shinji ran through the marble household, past panicking occupants and servants. He didn't know whose room it was, but he had to make sure no one was harmed.

Particularly the heir.

As Shinji whirled the next corner, the flaming wooden door came into sight, and in his adrenaline fueled state, the Shinigami grasped the door handle anyway- heard the small _click_ as the door opened.

It was not locked.

The first thing that came into sight was the smoke. It bombarded the Shinigami senseless with its puffed clouds of noxious toxins, followed by the heat of the flames. The room was afire all right. The curtains were falling to ash onto the floor, the four poster bed was in a sea of flames, and the hardwood furniture around was covered head to toe. There was a lump under the covers of the bed-

Shinji's heart gave a forceful _thump_ in his chest.

Flashing over to the bed, he threw the burning comforter to the floor in a rough movement.

**/~/**

In those next few minutes, Shinji felt the utmost relief for reasons unknown to him.

As he exited the room and allowed the Fuyu to resume with their panic and endeavors to put out the flames, he let his mind wander. Under the blankets in that room was not a person. Just pillows.

A childish trick.

Taking one step at a time, the blonde descended the gran staircase of the Manor, not really knowing what to do next. Shell-shocked. Seeing that lump in the sea of flames was enough to give anyone a shock.

"It seems they have contained the fire." A quiet voice floated to the Shinigami's ears, causing him to turn his head and see yet another shock of white. A woman stood at the bottom of the staircase with her arms crossed, striking teal eyes on the floor above.

A bit of smoke leaked into the hallway, but most of it escaped outside thanks to the arched windows that had been opened. The woman shook her head, her choppy white hair splaying behind her. She had on a traditional chef's hat and white smock with a red scarf-like material wrapped around her neck in a small bow. "That girl…"

"Who are you?"

Teal eyes landed on Shinji, suddenly quiet for a moment. Like she was assessing him. Not showing a thing as she noted he was the Shinigami that she had already heard about. "Fuyubeniko. The chef. And you?"

"Shinji Hirako, Captain of Division Five."

This woman was different than the Austere lady. She had color. Her voice was quiet, not monotone. Gesturing with her hands, Beni glanced back upstairs, "Fuyuka in there?"

Shinji blinked. "Nope."

"Huh… she _was_ on house arrest, now that I think about it. How did she manage to get out…"

Finally the blonde's mind started working again.

"Wait a minute. Yer sayin' that someone was supposed ta be in that room? Why the hell do you sound so calm about it?"

Now it was teal eyes time to blink. Proffering a half-smirk, Beni turned her back and shrugged for theatrics. "Beats me, Shinigami. I mean really, who would be dumb enough to set the Fuyu heiress' room afire? People these days…"

Shinji just watched the woman's back as she walked away, furrowing his brows.

"Fuyu _heiress'_?"

_What the hell!_

**/~/**

It was a little later that Shinji realized he had to find this_ heiress. _

He _needed_ to.

Her room was set afire, and after assessing the damage, it was the conclusion that no one had been harmed. No one was in the room at the time. And the Austere woman had said the door had been locked. The chef said the _heiress_ was on house arrest. So where the hell was _she_?

Shinji had stalked the glorious Manor halls for an hour now, his irritation flourishing to full-on frustration as he had no such luck in finding the _girl_ yet. How was he supposed to, when he didn't even know what the _girl _looked like!

Muttering a particularly colorful curse as he passed an open doorway, Shinji hesitated in his next step as he heard a voice call out to him. "You have a very nice vocabulary, Mr. Shinigami."

Blinking, the man stopped at the threshold, turning his gaze to look inside. The room was a spacious study with no windows, dark wood adorning the walls, rich red carpet on the ground, and a sizable circular table in the center. It looked like any other study in the hands of a prosperous family. Fancy furniture with their fancy paintings.

There were four stories to the Fuyu Manor. Three of them were above ground. The fourth, down below, was where this room was, and where Shinji had somehow landed himself. And hovering over this round table was a girl who had her gaze on the surface below, ink pen in hand. There was a sizable piece of parchment below her pen, and several lines in which Shinji could not see from his distance.

Stepping inside the room, the blonde narrowed his eyes at the small girl. "What are you doin' here?"

Lengthened ivory hair fell over one of the girl's shoulders as she bunched it up, ruffling the unruly yet perfect- in Shinji's eyes- chalk. She blew a sigh from pale pink lips and puffed those waxen cheeks of hers. Finally her eyes lifted to reveal a varnished plum color sparkling directly at him. "I'm sketching a map, of course. Tell me, does it really not resemble one?"

Blinking, Shinji stepped forward and brought his eyes to the paper below, seeing, in fact, a very detailed outline of the Fuyu establishment and the surrounding woods. It was meticulous in each setting. The woods down to the very rooms of the estate. The fountain outside, the houses he had yet to see, and the land stretched on for miles and miles- according to the key.

"It's good."

"Really? Thanks!"

The girl seemed thoroughly delighted with the compliment- almost as if she hadn't ever received one.

_Huh. _

"So what brings you to this level of the Manor, Mr. Shinigami?"

"It's Shinji. And I'm lookin' for someone. The _heiress_ to this place. You seen her?"

This girl was also different from the Fuyu he had met, or saw, for that matter. She had life in her mauve eyes, and her movements seemed energized. Her words were sparkling with animation, but not overly so. Shinji realized the girl had gone back to her map, furrowing small brows as she examined her work.

"Huh. If you don't mind my asking, why are you looking?"

Shinji crossed his arms as he watched her work. "Tch. Her quarters were set afire. They don't know if it was intentional or not, but I'm makin' sure."

"I thought I smelled smoke. A shame. It truly was an ugly room, though." Her voice was absent as she commented, keeping her eyes down.

Shinji couldn't say he didn't like her, but she had never answered his question, and was therefore wasting his time. "Hey, lady, do you know where she is or not?"

Shinji watched the girl blink down at her map before quirking her lips, plum eyes dancing.

"Have you spoken to other Fuyu, Mr. Shinji?"

"Eh? What's that got ta do with anythin'?"

Shrugging, "Just a question."

"Look, I don't-"

"Oh, now you're mad. I'm sorry! You must have met Miss Austere! Or maybe one of the other unpleasant chambermaids. Or maybe Beni's up to no good and cooked something horrendous just for spite! I'll take care of that right away, Mr. Shinji-!"

The girl had suddenly made her way around the table and was heading for the door when Shinji grabbed the back of her shirt, tugging her backwards to him. "Hey! Ya never answered my question, lady!"

Those large plum eyes blinked back at him before he saw it click. Her rosy lips broke into a wide smile, "Oh right, sorry. I'm Fuyuka Yukibosu, the next Head. Nice to meet you, Mr. Shinji."

* * *

_Review!_  
_And finally they meet. Not exactly conventional, but hey, who's counting?  
Thanks!_

_**-Mel**  
_


	5. Hey, Call Me Yuki

**A/N: **Thanks for waiting! I could sit here for a good amount of time listing off excuses as to why I haven't posted, blah blah blah, but I'll save you the grief and just let you read because you're pretty cool.

Thanks for reviewing my story, pumpkin.  
**Animelover1993  
Inperfection  
Nicky Eira  
LogicOfFire  
Mysticbreez  
**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, Kubo does. I don't own his characters, he does. It's that simple.

* * *

…_arcane WINTERS © Dia de Luz_

_Bleach © Tite Kubo_…

**(** _Chapter V_ **)**

**Hey, Call Me Yuki**

**

* * *

**I like a lot of things. Constellations, bells, not knowing the courses of events, waiting.  
Losing my keys to the Manor.  
I'm not good with faces. Or names. Red wine. Good people.  
Mistakes.

I like mistakes the most.

_- From the Diary of Fuyuka Yukibosu._

_

* * *

_

Shinji didn't know where things had started to go wrong.

His task was supposed to be simple. He had found the heiress, who had taken to creating her own little niche in the lower level of Fuyu Manor, and had her in his sight. She was unharmed. That was the gist of his job- to keep her physically healthy and mentally stable- to the best of his ability. He had wanted to question her- how did she get out of her room, how did the fire start in the first place, did she see anything?- but all those intentions of his seemed to fly out the nonexistent windows downstairs when Fuyuka had proffered a thousand watt grin directly to him.

Her perfect pearly whites contrasted sharply with those plum eyes of hers as she spoke to Shinji, who had long since stopped listening to the girl. She could talk and talk- her subjects and interests were boundless. She left room for Shinji to get a word or two in, but then she was off again on a rant about how Miss Austere needed to loosen up and her instructor, Miss Ikuno, needed to find some good hobbies to keep her occupied.

"She really just needs to get out and see the world, like ski or something interesting and slightly life threatening such as that. She told me she wants to retire in a ski resort, but personally I think those retirement homes of sorts have gross food. What's your favorite food, Mr. Shinji? Mine's pomegranates. Maybe that's my favorite fruit…"

It was only the first day, and the girl was already having some kind of effect on him. It was odd; it was strange, and it was foreign. Shinji Hirako was a diligent Shinigami. He finished what needed to be done, and he more or less stayed back and watched events play out. The blonde quickly came to realize that he just couldn't do that here. So there he was, leaning against the wall in that ritzy study with his eyes on Fuyuka's petite form, which was leaning over that circular table with her map lain out before her.

She was still talking, and Shinji didn't know if he should have interrupted her or just let her continue, but he never got to decide. She cut herself off. "Mr. Shinji!"

Blinking his brown eyes, the Shinigami focused in on Fuyuka's face as she gave him an almost disapproving glare. She couldn't quite pull it off- the slight curve to her lips threw it off.

"What?" he barked, not entirely as irritated as he would have liked to seem.

Straightening, the girl placed her hands on her hips and took on a chiding tone, "You weren't even listening, were you!"

"I was."

"What did I just say, then?"

"…"

"AHAH!"

"Tch. I can't help that you talk too much."

"But you looked real interested for awhile…"

Shinji almost snorted in laughter as the girl trailed off in her nagging and turned back to her map, losing interest in their conversation already. He quickly deduced that the girl had the attention span of a small child.

"Oi." Crossing his arms, the Shinigami didn't wait for Fuyuka to acknowledge his words. "It seems yer unharmed. How the hell did you get out of that fire unscathed?"

Much to Shinji's chagrin, he found it easy to relax in this girl's presence and, surprisingly, it was difficult to censure his speech. He didn't even bother, and it was only the first day. There was just something about Fuyuka Yukibosu that had him feeling like he had known her for ages, how he could listen to her ramble and complain and poke fun at others like they were casual friends. It was a very, very strange occurrence for this particular Shinigami. Hadn't he thought himself as cautious and a naturally suspicious character from the beginning?

"Huh? Oh. I used the door?"

This time Shinji couldn't hold back a snort, "Mind telling me how?"

"Well, this is weird. I didn't think I'd have to explain to a perfectly competent Shinigami how to use a door…"

"OI! That's not what I'm getting' at, ya smartass! I'm sayin' how did ya get out when it was clearly locked!"

"You could have phrased that a little better, y'know…"

"Just answer tha question!"

By now both Fuyuka and Shinji had changed their stances- Fuyuka leaning on the table with her elbows, and Shinji stepping off the wall to wave a fist at the small girl. With a devious grin curling her lips, Fuyuka airily replied and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "It wasn't that difficult to pick the lock."

"Pick tha lock?"

"Mmhmm."

"…"

The ferocious scribble of Fuyuka's pen was the only sound in the room for a few moments as Shinji just stared, blinking. His mind was ticking. Fuyuka had picked the lock to her room. She was trapped in there when the fire was set, and she had escaped via lock picking. Meaning…

"You set the fire." His voice was not persecuting, not judgmental- it was just a statement.

And Fuyuka merely responded, "What makes you say that?"

"Ya picked tha lock ta get out. That obviously means it was locked. No one was in there to set the fire, except for you. It wasn't an attempt on yer life," here the Shinigami narrowed his gaze on her face, scrutinizing, "ya set it ta… amuse yerself?" He ended his suspicion in a question, mostly for himself. It didn't make sense to him, but when Fuyuka gave an absent nod, it really hit him.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YA THINKIN'!"

"I was locked in there for two days, Mr. Shinji! I was very bored!"

"There's a death threat lingerin' over yer head, and ya go an' set a fire because you were bored!"

"Well when you phrase it like that…"

**/~/**

"Sir," a slightly abashed voice started, "Fuyuka is still alive."

The room was dark; cold stone and cruel metal bars lined the underground area.

"I can see this." It was like speaking to a brick wall. To him, everyone was incompetent. It was beyond ridiculous at this point. "The Head is to die within the week. See to it that this Yukibosu perishes along with him. Failure is not an option."

"… Yes sir."

"You want to return to Seireitei, don't you? Do this, and maybe you will."

"Sir."

"Get out of my sight."

The cruelty of it all was suffocating. But the girl would die. So he could get home.

That was all there was to it.

**/~/**

"Mr. Shinji! Let's go to the kitchens! I'm starving!"

"Yer not starving, Fuyuka."

"Hey."

"…What?"

"Call me Yuki."

The two were still in the study down below, Shinji taking to lounging in one of the cushiony chairs where Fuyuka stood in front of her table, eyes on her map with a small frown capsizing her lips. "Call you what?"

"This map is missing something…"

"Oi! You can't just switch topics like that so fast!"

"Huh. Maybe it's just color that lacks. What do you think, Mr-" But the girl was cut off by a certain _fluffy_ impact against her skull, and the girl's head was thrown forward. Losing her composure for a few moments, Fuyuka attempted to sturdy herself enough to turn around and stare at the blonde Shinigami.

Blinking, "Did you just…?"

"Let's go get something to eat."

The plum eyed girl just blinked once more before a wide smile split her lips and a vigorous nod bobbed her head. "Yeah!" And she skipped around the table, not even glancing back at her detailed illustration.

But as she exited through the archway, Shinji stopped beside the rounded table and spared a few seconds to stare at her creation, lips quirking as he saw a heavy line run straight through the middle- where her hand had slipped. The pillow lay on the floor, already forgotten, but Shinji only shook his head with a scoff. 

_She had to have seen that screw up._

Yet she had said nothing of it. Just that giant smile on her face, not portraying any discontent at all.

"I think it's perfect." Snapping his head up, brown orbs landed on plums. Fuyuka leaned in the doorway with a small smile, her waxen cheeks stretching with a _genuine_ curve. She nodded her head towards the map, "That's what it was missing."

"A line through the center?"

"A mishap," she corrected, eying her map with a strange expression.

"Huh?" Shinji didn't get it. The giant mark ruined it, in his opinion. Admittedly, he felt a _tad bit _guilty for ruining something in which she spend a good amount of time on, but he was more so confused as to why she was speaking like such.

"Things are boring without flaws. That's what it was- dull. You fixed it."

Shinji just rolled his eyes as he reached the door, placing a hand on her head just to shove her with almost a playful air. Ignoring the small _thump_ of his heart and the strange contentment when he felt that silk hair.

"Yer so weird."

Yet he couldn't help but like the idea of her words.

"Gee, thanks."

"Ya gettin' sarcastic, _Yuki_?"

He only received a broad grin in return.

_And he liked it._

_

* * *

_

_Review!_  
_I know it may be a bit slow.  
But I write this.  
You read it.  
I MAKE DECISIONS IN THESE HERE PARTS!_

**_Mel_**


	6. Intangible Killer

**A/N: **An update? Holy smokes, it must be the apocalypse or something. Yeah. It's the end of the world. So make it better for me by spending your last breaths reading and reviewing, you silly fans, you.

**xLilm  
Animelover1993  
LogicOfFire  
Nicky Eira  
ReNaY  
XxKuragari no KagexX  
Inperfection  
Mysticbreez**

_You guys make my angsty, __adolescent days much, much brighter.__ Much love!_

_

* * *

_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, Kubo does. I don't own his characters, he does. It's that simple.

* * *

…_arcane WINTERS © Dia de Luz_

_Bleach © Tite Kubo_…

**(** _Chapter VI_** )**

**Intangible Killer**

**

* * *

**It slips through my fingers and I lament as I watch it fall to the ground in the form of frozen life.  
It's cold as I watch it.  
And that's where I toast to myself.

I toast to the future.  
And I start again.

_- From the Diary of Fuyuka Yukibosu_

_

* * *

_

Council meetings were always a bore.

The men seated around the grand marble table were drones. With their monotone voices, faceless expressions, and dull words did Fuyuka listen and wait. It was silly for her, what she was waiting for. For once, she hoped, just once, would someone speak out, splash a messy culture of color. She wanted it to be different. These meetings- they weren't for her. Given, she was the heiress of the Fuyu. However, these men around her, her soon to be equals and peers- that's not what she wanted to command.

In a very small corner in the back of Fuyuka's mind, she feared that one day she would, too, turn into what she saw everyday. Monotone blankness.

Fuyuka would not have it.

"Lady Fuyuka." It took a few moments for Fuyuka's plum eyes to tear themselves away from the carved oak of her walls and to the source of the dull voice. Another faceless council member. The young girl didn't speak, just gave him a long stare and blinked those outlandish eyes of hers. It took the man a minute, but he spoke again with the same blank edge, "We need to speak of which course of action to take next."

Course of action.

He made it sound so distant.

Lacing her slim fingers together, the heiress set her hands on the table with a calm air. These men around this table wanted calm and distant- monotone and mundane and regular.

"You're implying that I'm taking too long to decide, council member."

Fuyuka would not give them the calm and placid they desired. She would not give them diplomacy. She'd give them her feelings and her accusations, her suspicions and her heart- she'd share everything and expected nothing to be reciprocated.

"No, Lady Fuyuka, I am merely stating-"

"Pa just died this morning, and you can only think of what to do next?"

"It is our job, Lady Fuyuka. You are now the Head of Fuyu."

And at this statement, Fuyuka couldn't feel much of anything. She didn't feel that swell of pride that was expected, or sadness for her Father's passing. He was old, and Fuyuka rarely saw him. He didn't show much affection; Fuyuka believed he didn't love her the same after her Mother. Of course, Fuyuka was wrong in her deductions, but she'd never know that now.

Moistening her lips, the young girl was silent.

Her inheritance ceremony was days away, but it seemed like years away. It felt like years ago when that stone had been hurtling towards her head. It felt like ages since she had met Shinji Hirako, though it had only been weeks.

Nothing out of the ordinary had happened since then. Nothing life threatening, nothing fear invoking. Just spending her days learning with Miss Ikuno and staying out of Miss Austere's way. She was being pushed into the direction which was expected.

She now possessed this power over the Fuyu and she had no idea what to do with it. She had responsibility and no guidance.

And she had Shinji in her life.

Fuyuka was a confused girl.

**-X-**

The Inspector was tired.

It was a simple yet overbearing statement. The meaning of tired could go so many ways. The Fuyu Inspector was tired in every single way that could come to mind. Tired of the snow, tired of his case which was growing cold each passing day, tired of the life inside Fuyu Manor.

Tired of that bothersome heiress.

He felt cold. For the first time inside of Fuyu Manor, with the lifeless snow growing in abundance just outside those walls, the Fuyu Inspector felt a creeping cold settling in his skin, manifesting with a feeling stronger than just a bitter edge.

The man stood at his window as he watched the listless routine down below, a deep frown curving his lips. His hands, which were clasped behind his back, tightened just the slightest as he gripped each finger.

That heiress had a threat hanging over her head like a guillotine.

The Inspector knew it wasn't over. One would not settle for just one attempt, two attempts at that- the fire in the Miss's room could not be ignored, no matter how suspicious that particular attempt was- and leave. One would not quit just because a… Shinigami was now in the mix.

No, this was just the beginning, the Inspector thought with a pit of dread. Just because he did not particularly like the heiress did not mean he would not do his job. Because he would. For the old and decrepit Head, that blasted heiress' father himself, had passed. In his memory would the Inspector solve this.

Then, God only knows what.

* * *

It wasn't like Shinji to be apart from Fuyuka for long.

In the few weeks he had been in the presence of the petite girl, he had found her disarming smile quite comforting and her odd ways a refreshing break from his life in Seireitei. So as said blonde stalked the marble hallways of the Manor, Shinji found himself searching for the familiar head of ivory hair.

It was his job to protect and keep an eye out for her, after all.

He used that as a crutch.

In truth, the Shinigami had found himself becoming attached.

It was the sharp sound of objects grating against one another that first caught his attention, followed by several words spoken in an undertone. Turning his head towards the sound, Shinji found himself moving towards the kitchens. Reaching the threshold, the man's brown orbs found the target that which he had been unconsciously searching for.

However, he had not expected the small girl to be in the process of sharpening the chef's favorite set of knives with an intent expression coating that heart-shaped face. She seemed to not notice his presence, causing a smirk to settle on his lips, and he took a few steps forward to lean on the counter before her.

With her mauve eyes still narrowed on the metallic surface of the sharp utensil, Shinji had a chance to study her. To commit that one look into his memory, for his Yuki had many facial expressions that he always came to see and hold somewhere in that heart of his.

How odd for a man like Shinji Hirako.

"Ya seem ta be really into that," came his amused voice.

In turn, this caused the petite heiress to slip in her work, shriek a string of obscenities, and successfully slice porcelain.

"Mother of Pearl!" Fuyuka dropped the knives as her hand started to leak crimson, causing Shinji to roll his eyes in exasperation. He maneuvered his way around the counter to take her hand in his, leading her to the nearest sink and drenching it with warm water. He held her steady as she tried to wrench her bloodied hand away, and as she hissed from the sting the Shinigami found a dry dish towel sufficient enough to staunch the blood.

"Yer such a klutz, Yuki."

"You frightened me!"

"Tch. You were outa it. What are ya doin' in here, anyways?"

Fuyuka merely grimaced as the towel started to bleed red, pulling her hand from her Shinigami acquaintance's. "I was sharpening Beni's knives while she's out."

But something in the girl's tone made the Shinigami frown and narrow those brown orbs of his at her. Crossing his arms, "What's with you?"

Fuyuka reached down to pick up the abused knives, lips curving downwards. "Bad day, I guess."

"Tch, you? What tha hell coulda happened to upset you?"

He didn't receive a reply. Fuyuka merely turned towards the sink and threw the stained towel in, shaking her marred hand with a grunt. Her eyes went to the window before her, and with her back to her Shinigami did she speak.

"There was a council meeting today. There was talk about relocating the Fuyu fortune."

The atmosphere around the two got a bit more thicker at this, a bit more suffocating. Shinji only leaned against the counter as he stared at her back, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"It was a pressuring sort of gathering."

"They're pressurin' ya ta make a decision?"

"That's part of it…" Her tone was trailing off, a sign Shinji took as she no longer wanted to speak of the Fuyu troubles. Rolling his eyes at the girl, he stepped next to her small form and took her bony hand, ignoring her questioning stare.

And then his stand started to glow- a sight that had ashen-mauve eyes widening in wonder. It didn't take much for Shinji to start healing the deep wound, so his eyes were on Fuyuka's face as she stared, transfixed.

The light reflected off of her plum orbs, casting a surreal glow for just a few moments.

Another image Shinji had unconsciously committed to memory.

And then it was over, and their hands were still intertwined, and Fuyuka's eyes were still reflecting wonderment, and Shinji's were showing something a little different. Something he didn't even know.

Until Fuyuka slowly retracted her hand to bring it before her face and hold it there, just staring with those incredulous orbs. "Magnificent…"

The Shinigami's lips quirked slightly. "Che. Yer so simple."

"It really is marvelous," her voice was breathless. She was amazed. Her big plum eyes raised to meet his, a glimmer of something shining in those large orbs. Something that Shinji could look at with a swell of pride and affection.

Because he put it there.

But then, the moment was turned- flipped around and turned inside out. The second another _reiatsu_ hit Shinji's senses was a second too late.

There was only the sound of shattering glass, shards raining downwards, and the slams of several exits. Sealed off. Shinji could only react- taking Fuyuka in his arms and shielding the small girl with his own body.

Luck was on their side as the glass seemed to halt, clattering to the floor with several _clangs!_

And it seemed like the clamor was over, just for that split second, before Shinji heard the sharp intake of breath from beneath his chin, and Fuyuka's small finger outstretched. It was pointing.

And when the Shinigami's brown eyes followed, they could only widen. And his mind went blank for just a moment. Because their exits were then sealed, and a sort of gaseous smog was slowly oozing through the cracks of the thick, wooden doorways.

* * *

_Whoa. An update in weeks, and I end it with a cliffhanger?_  
_I'm such a jerk to ya'll._ :)  
**Review!**

**_-Mel_**


	7. One Second, One Thousand Thoughts

**A/N:** I. Am. The. Worst. Updater.

Ever.  
Please forgive me?

**Nicky Eira**  
**LogicOfFire**  
**Mysticbreez**  
**Animelover1993**  
**xLilm**  
**Inperfection**  
Much love.

_My formatting is different because my laptop is freaking out. My apologies._

* * *

…_arcane WINTERS © Dia de Luz_

_Bleach © Tite Kubo_…

**(** _Chapter VII_ **)**

**One Second, One Thousand Thoughts**

**

* * *

**

I have this one stupid little dream for the future. It's something for when I'm the official Head of Fuyu, when I'm in full power. I hope I will one day have the courage to address all of Fuyu in the Manor, atop of Byuu Vena and tell them one thing.

To look in my eyes and see the pain that I do not hide inside.  
Rather the pain that they have blatantly ignored ever since my birth.

And I hope that they one day, too, acknowledge it.

_- From the Diary of Fuyuka Yukibosu_

_

* * *

_

Fuyuka could only stare at the smog which had long since infiltrated the chrome kitchens, study how dense and discolored it was, wonder how noxious and potent it would be- how it would make her look in death. Pallid, eyes glassy and vacant, hands reaching towards the windows yet not quite making it. The frosted glass which led to her freedom, her sanity and her life, was just right there-

-and then there was marble.

She found herself staggering, hands roughly groping the counter to sturdy herself, slipping.

_"S-Shinji,"_ the sound was barely audible, strangled as the girl continued to half pull, half claw her way off the counter and towards- nothing. Vision blurring once again, Fuyuka uttered an indiscernible sound from the back of her throat, desperate. She didn't know when the transition from standing to hitting the floor occurred, but somewhere between there she had let out a stifled shriek. That shriek, utterly contorted with the unmistakable hysteria which consumed her eyes, her thoughts, her being, was for Shinji to hear. Her Shinigami, her protector and guardian, was in that room with her.

If he died…

_"S-Shinji! S-guh!"_

Words died on her lips as she continued struggling with her arms, clawing, scraping nail to marble. Nothing was in her ears, her eyes, her everything, save for the thick miasthma. Her fingertips were slipping with each desperate attempt at motion. And then another choked breath.

It felt slow, watching her blurred hand drop to the cold ground. Seeing it land before the gas completely engulfed her. Her lungs burned, were on fire, when something soft grazed her slick fingers. It took time, time that which she had not, to use logic to discern what was between her fingers.

Hair.

Yellow hair. In her oxygen deprived state, Fuyuka could only choke back a sob, somehow piecing together the puzzle. Her hand slowly, so languidly, dropped to fall upon fabric. A shoulder, clothed with white. She gripped it unknowingly, dragged herself forward light-headedly, and leaned over the body. Her hands blindly felt for a face, smearing liquid which had seeped from her fingertips over smooth skin. Her hands quaked, her vision spotted, but the girl leaned forward anyway.

Some important thought nipped at her mind, her barely-able consciousness. It was eating her away; her lips hovered just over his.

_Save._

How?

H…How could she? With no oxygen to spare?

It didn't matter; she couldn't think with so little breath left. She didn't know that she had done it. Only when her mouth was crushed to his, her soft lips parting and blowing lightly, as much as she could give.

_S-Shinji- _

_Save!_

She vaguely felt her hands on his chest, pressing with all her might. Lifting her face from his, her vision blurred and darkness descended upon her with one swoop. She wasn't even able to hear the shouts and explosion; the light had vanished from her mauve eyes.

* * *

"She is not dead." Usually these words would precede a heavy sigh of relief and a plethora of concerned questions. Usually there would be a weighted presence lifted from an individual or so, and a small grateful smile would curl lips.

However, this was not the case in the lower levels of the Fuyu Manor. There was an ominous aura down beneath, so low that it was cold. The metal pipelines and bars were there, glinting with their rusted appearance. They hang overhead, dripping every couple of minutes. It was dead down there, but the life… it was so hot.

Vehement, he was, as the man stared at his incompetent subordinate. Livid, he wanted to strike the man. He had many a time; why should he not now?

"I see." His response seemed so calm, collected, chilled. But there was the underlying malice, the underscoring abhorrence and loathing. Seething were his eyes as they studied the man from Seireitei; the one that could use this _reiatsu_ and dispose of mere Hollows. "And why is this?" came his seemingly bored drawl, but the Shinigami knew better.

Oh yes, he most definitely knew better.

There was slight hesitance in the Shinigami's response, "Shinji Hirako is a very cunning man. He sensed my presence and protected the heiress with the best of his ability, which is something that cannot be overlooked, G-sama. He _is_ the Captain of Division Five-"

"I know this, Conan. I know what this _Hirako_ is capable of. I need not reminding of this _inconsequential _inconvenience; rather I need to know if you can handle this assignment."

G's voice had long since lost its drawling features, but turned hot, scornful, scalding. "Failure. Is. Not. An. Option. This fortune is worth not ten of your petty lives, but thousands."

"H-Hai, G-sama-"

"This is your final warning." So cold, yet scorching down below. "Dispose of Fuyuka Yukibosu, or I will act."

Finality.

* * *

It was several hours later when the voices started to make sense.

"Unsuccessful… heiress… try again… disgrace."

Although the words faded in and out time and time again, Fuyuka could only begin to wonder just what exactly was being discussed at her bedside. She recognized the more prominent voice of the two, a Mr. Fuyugeiso, particularly bitter and rigid in his practices. She had only seen him a handful of times at council meetings, but his absences were never chided. He was valued too much within the Fuyu as a senior member.

Fuyuka didn't like the man, and found his ways to be quite harsh and unnecessary. It was said he was responsible for the lynching of a man who had stolen two weeks' worth of food from the kitchens.

_Punishment had to be delivered_.

Fuyuka shuddered at the memory.

Her dreams were full of nooses and glazed and glassy eyes that night.

* * *

_Calmness is the cradle of power. _

_Yet courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace._

Fuyuka had read these sayings, pondered several readings day to day, but had she never been granted the time to mull over such words until now. Until now, as she sat there bundled in a small blanket outside her burned balcony doors, watching the snow fall gently. She came to fully appreciate the unadulterated placidity as she sat, rocking forward and back each moment.

She felt small as she looked down upon the Manor's life, felt so insignificant and fragile, for the first time so cold and lonely and-

_Lonely… _

The heiress was so lonely, so painfully lonely that she felt the need to curl up into a little ball in the corner of her burned balcony and forget the world. Because what was there in her world, aside from the death, the cold, the white and the… distance. The distance from any civilization, the distance between each Fuyu residing in the Manor, it was all so far. Those chasms between those flat individuals, would they ever be connected? Had they ever been so?

A land bridge, she needed one. Fuyuka needed contact, she needed the warmth of others to embrace her and make her alive. She wanted-

-warmth.

"I thought you were still too young ta understand," a small murmur, "but it looks like I was wrong. Ya understand everything here, don't ya, Yuki?"

It was Shinji who had placed that warm hand on her shaking shoulder; Shinji who had taken a place beside her. Close enough in proximity to remind her that _he was there._ "Ya saved my life."

"You saved mine," was her immediate response.  
"Someone's tryin' ta kill ya."  
"I know where the fortune is."  
"Jus' you."

"Just me," she confirmed his already knowing statement. He watched her sit there, plum eyes not dancing, not sparkling, yet not missing their shine. Not dull, not lifeless, yet not holding that same life. Discriminated against from birth she was, condemned since the beginning, struggling from then on. With a distant Father, deceased Mother, and judgmental clan- that was Fuyuka Yukibosu.

"I don't want your pity, Mr. Shinji. I… am not some sad individual, nor am I exuberant. I- I …"

Her life was only a struggle.

"How do ya live like this, Yuki?" were his only words, hushed and pained.

Pained for her, for her unsuccessful attempts and failures. And even then, he could see her lips twitching in that halfhearted smile, not strained. Not one bit strained or tight. Just a quirk of those lips… that had saved his life by damn near sacrificing hers.

_CPR, eh._

"How do I live like this, huh?" It seemed as though she was speaking to herself, the way she didn't make eye contact with him. The way her voice seemed so far, yet was right beside him. The way her plum eyes lowered so her lashes veiled her true thoughts, which always had taken to reflecting through ashen mauve.

"I am the Fuyu heir, Mr. Shinji. I… was born… to live like this. I was made to… I was brought up so that I could…"

Choke on her own words and force herself to swallow them despite their bitter taste.

Their aftertaste though, oh, that was the worst.

She felt wretched.

_How can I even begin to comprehend this failure of mine? Pa passed this down, this title, this… this inheritance, and all I am doing is throwing it back in his decrepit, wrinkled, and dead face._

"Yer tryin' ta measure up ta what others expect, Yukibosu."

She wanted to tell him to stop; Fuyuka wanted Shinji to understand. How could she put it into words, the idea that she was born into what was expectance. Since day one were there great things expected of her- how could she convey that weight to this man beside her?

"I-I…" She could only stumble on her words, feeling as though cotton stuffed her mouth dry.

Finally, her voice cracked, "I don't know…!"

Prolonged silence. That's what Shinji offered.

"… I'll take ya away from this place, Yuki."

Fuyuka could only cover her face with her hands in a halfhearted attempt to keep her expression hidden away from the Captain, but she knew that he knew better. After all, he had found her sitting there, when she had deliberately slipped out as conspicuously as possible. She had wanted to get out of the infirmary, despite her still not feeling so great. She had fallen and hit her head in the kitchens; her fingers were numb. Her hands were so different now. They were marred, cut and scratched and looked foreign.

"Take me… away?" she tasted it on her tongue; the words were flat and strained.

How could she tell him?

_I can never leave this place._

Mount Byuu Vena… would be her grave. The Fuyu Manor… would be her final resting place. "I will not leave." How she wished he would understand that her words were _I cannot leave._ "I will…"

What would she do? What did she honestly plan to say? What could be so great that she would even turn down this man's offer? Why would she not leave, even though there had been several attempts on her life? His own life had been at stake, yet she wasn't budging.

_Why!_

"I told Ma I'd change it all for her," was her small murmur, breathed with as much conviction that could have been packed into those nine words. It was so quick, her hardened resolve, that Shinji could only watch in silence, mouth a tight line.

"I _will_ change it all for her."

_This hate that resides deep within the Fuyu, this abhorrence manifesting since Kami knows when…  
I will change it. _

"I will probably die here."  
_When?  
_"But I will _not_ leave."

Finality.

* * *

**Quite sorry that it's been so long. Very apologetic, actually.  
Anyway, I realized at the end of this post that I didn't really elaborate on how exactly Fuyuka and Shinji escaped their deaths. It'll be in the next. Sorry!**

**-Mel**


End file.
